


Paradigm Shift

by missgoalie75



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-03
Updated: 2019-05-03
Packaged: 2020-02-16 20:16:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18698425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missgoalie75/pseuds/missgoalie75
Summary: In which after saving the universe, Peter and Scott become friends and it weirdly enough shakes up the Avengers.





	Paradigm Shift

**Author's Note:**

> **Characters/Pairings:** Peter, Scott, Hope, Hank, Janet, Cassie, Maggie, Paxton, Aunt May, Tony, Steve + More; Scott/Hope, hinted Peter/MJ
> 
> **Spoilers/Warnings:** Endgame happens except everyone lives (don’t ask questions), everyone ends up back in 2018/right after Infinity War, Carol is the one who utilizes the gauntlet instead of Tony and is Just Fine, and Steve remains in the present, but he creates an alternate reality in which he’s found in the ice and gets to live out his life with Peggy.
> 
> **Disclaimer:** Standard disclaimers apply.
> 
> **A/N:** I technically wrote this right after catching up with the MCU and watching Infinity War and saved it to potentially add things from Endgame, but...yeah, very little was changed. I just want everyone to be happy and alive. Thank you, Annie, for betaing and also listening to be rage about Endgame logistics.
> 
> **Please advise: this fic is critical of Tony Stark.**

It hits Peter at some point about three hours and seventeen minutes in this post-war-celebration-party-hell-yeah-we-won social gathering that he's...young. Like, very young. 

The youngest in the room, definitely, by like...a number of years, if he's being polite about it.

He spots Mr. Stark speaking with Captain America - Mr. Rogers, Cap…Peter isn't really sure what to call him now - and they've got arms around each other shoulders, which is nice that they've forgiven each other. There's Thor and Mr. Falcon and the Scarlet Witch and the King of Wakanda and _there are too many awesome people in one room._

__(There’s also a ginger cat that keeps roaming around and he’s apparently named Goose...which is a choice, but Captain Marvel seems very intimidating and he will not be one to question her.)

Feeling awkward, he wanders to the bar to get a beverage so he's not swinging his hands around at least. He checks his phone for the time - it's nearly 4am in NYC and even Ned has passed out by now. 

When he looks up, he spots a guy with dark hair at the bar, having some sort of conversation with the bartender. 

"Listen, man, I just need something comparable to give to that woman in the killer black dress over there. I'm trusting your vast knowledge as a sommelier –"

"Uh I'm not a – I just have a bartending license –"

"Please, sir, you must know more than I do. I haven't had wine since my friend Hernando's confirmation and I upchucked, okay, I _upchucked_. It was gross."

The bartender grimaces and says, "Let me see what I got."

The man brings his hands together and does a half bow. "Thank you…Sir Juan," he says, squinting his eyes to read the nametag.

"Actually, my name is Patrick. Can't find my name tag, so."

Peter bites the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. The bartender is serious while the other guy closes his eyes briefly, as if praying for the sweet release of death.

"Sir Patrick, then. Thank you."

Patrick the bartender leaves and the other guy brings a hand to his eyes before looking over and catching Peter's gaze. 

The guy's eyes widen. "Oh no, I'm so sorry, you were waiting - wait Patrick, come back!" the guy calls out, but Patrick is either out of earshot or is done hearing him speak. 

"It's okay, honestly. It'll give me something to do," Peter reassures him.

"What, wait around for the bartender to come back?" 

Peter shrugs. 

"Yeah, I'm honestly pretty bored myself. Only know three people well enough and the rest kind of just tolerated me in the moment, you know?"

"Yeah," Peter agrees, a little surprised by how bitter he sounds. 

The guy tilts his head to the side. "I'm Scott, by the way. Or Ant-Man, if we're going by professional names."

Peter's eyes light up. "Oh! You're the guy who can go really small or really big!"

He smiles, pleased. "Yeah, that's me."

"That's so awesome! I'm Peter! Or, uh, Spider-Man."

Scott freezes, eyes widening, traveling from the top of his head to his shoes. "You are?"

Peter is used to the shock that comes with the reveal, finding it more insulting than anything else due to the condescending nature of the disbelief. But with Scott, it's not condescending — actually, he seems...upset?

"What the - I _hit you_ , I didn't know you were a _kid_ , Jesus _Christ_ —"

"Wait, what —" Peter starts before remembering that first fight at the airport in Germany. That was him - on Captain America's shield. "Oh! Yeah! Don't worry about it —"

That seems to upset him further, triggering some sort of breakdown. "What the hell, a kid —" he rambles.

"I mean, I was a sophomore then —"

"That _really_ doesn't help," Scott groans. "Jesus Christ," he repeats again. He looks towards where the bartender left. "Screw this," he mutters, going around the bar. "What'll it be, Peter?"

Peter blinks. "Diet Coke, thanks."

Scott nods and opens up a can with one hand while searching for a glass with the other. He shovels ice into the glass and pours the can into it. "Lime?"

Peter scrunches his nose automatically, which makes Scott laugh. "My kid makes the same face."

"You have a kid?" Peter asks, surprised. It's weird to think about heroes having lives with like, friends and parents and partners and children. It doesn't seem like any of them have that. Well, besides Mr. Stark, he guesses with Ms. Potts and there's, well, _himself_ —

"Yeah, her name's Cassie; she's ten and she's the best," Scott says like he really means it. "Hold on, I need a shot to cope with the realization that I hit a minor in the face," he says, searching under the bar, pulling up a handle with a blue label. He pours himself probably more than a shot in a tumbler and shoots it back. "Wow, it's totally worth the price." He furrows his brow. "I don't think I was supposed to take it as a shot." Pause. "Whatever." He looks to Peter. "Don't follow my example of drinking as a means of coping with negative emotions," he says.

Peter nods, even though he's pretty sure a lot of adults do that anyway.

Suddenly, people are coming to the bar and requesting drinks. Scott tries to argue that he's not actually the bartender, but he gives up quickly and just starts filling orders (something Peter would probably do, if he's being honest with himself). After pouring two beers and making three gin and tonics, Scott pulls out his phone and unlocks it, placing it on the bar. "Check out my pictures, the last fifty are just her for the most part."

Peter takes it and Scott wasn't exaggerating - there are dozens of pictures of the same girl with dark hair and eyes, huge smiles and laughs. There's also a _really big_ ant in a few of them, which is crazy. "What's...with the ant?"

"Yeah, that was collateral damage fighting a real class A jerk two years ago. Totally house trained."

"That's so awesome!"

There are selfies of Scott and Cassie and Peter finds himself smiling, a pang in his heart. There are also a few pictures of Cassie with the woman in the black dress across the room, which Peter doesn't know if that means that Scott and her are a couple, or just friends, or just hero partners or something. 

There are also a few pictures of what looks like an amazing slide in his house. "Dude, this is so cool! Did you make this? The slide?"

"Oh yeah, all me. I was on house arrest, so —"

"For what?" Peter asks before wincing. "Sorry, that was nosy —"

"Nah, it's fine — it was for the airport fight."

Finally, Patrick the bartender comes out the door from which he left with a few bottles of wine. 

"Uh, Patrick's back," Peter informs Scott, who is making a martini, dramatically shaking and all. 

"Oh, crap," Scott says, stopping and pouring the martini. "Do you mind doing the olives - three —"

"Make it four," the guy says.

Peter skitters to Scott's side and finds the jar of olives, skewering four of them and placing them on the glass. 

The guy takes a large sip. "Wow, this is good. Way better than what your buddy made."

Scott thinks to argue and just lets it go. "Oh, thanks."

The guy drops a bill and leaves. Scott smoothly pockets bill and leaves the bar, sneakily caring two bottles of beer. 

"Hey, you aren't allowed back here," Patrick counters. 

"Sorry, I'm simply impatient," Scott says with a shrug. 

Peter takes a large drink of soda to hide his amusement. 

"I know simple tasks can be challenging, but this is ridiculous."

Peter turns to find the woman in the picture with Scott's child standing next to Scott. She has an unamused expression on her face. 

"Listen, I was waiting for Patrick here to present some options. They ran out of Pinot Grigio," Scott counters. "Then I got roped into making drinks. I earned a twenty for my martini at an open bar." Scott pulls out the twenty and waves it in the woman's face. 

She sighs, almost smiling. "Fine." She looks to the bartender. "Sauvignon Blanc, but it better be a California grape."

Patrick has a blank expression on his face. 

The woman stares him down until he starts handing over bottles for her to inspect. Scott admires without subtlety. She finally picks one and he struggles to open the bottle and pour her a glass. She even glares at him when he gives her too little. 

"Oh, Peter, this is Hope, she's the Wasp," Scott says, placing a hand on her upper back to get her attention. "Hope, this is Peter — he's Spider-Man."

"Of course you find a fellow insect," Hope teases Scott. 

He returns her smile. "Well, we have to stick together, right?" He puts an arm around her waist to prove a point. 

"I fly without a pet."

Peter is lost, so he continues sipping his soda. 

"Don't you dare disrespect Anty Cohen," Scott argues. Peter smiles at the name.

"Wait, how old are you?" she suddenly asks Peter. 

He almost says fifteen simply because he unfortunately missed his sixteenth birthday due to saving the universe. "Sixteen."

Hope looks around the room, a kind of scary look on her face. "Who allowed this to happen?"

"Well, I started doing it at fourteen, but then Mr. Stark —"

Hope scoffs. "Of course. What a jackass." Peter bristles, wanting to argue, but Hope continues with, "I can't wait to tell my dad." She goes to leave Scott, but turns around and says, "Thanks, Scott Lang. I want to try to that martini."

"Tonight, or —?" he trails off. 

Hope smiles and leaves Scott in a bit of daze. Well, it's kind of nice to know that adults still act like idiots too about love, but it's also really distressing to know that it never gets better and Peter will be a wreck forever. 

Peter watches Hope find her father and it hits him that it's _Hank Pym_. Holy _crap_ – a _legend_! And he's _staring at him_ – oh, he's definitely hearing about how _young_ he is – 

"It's not a big deal," Peter mutters under his breath. 

"What's not?"

Peter flushes a little. "I'm almost eighteen."

Scott looks at him thoughtfully. "Yeah, you are. It's just...here, let's step away from the bar. I'm starting to think Patrick killed Juan and he's going to make me his next target," Scott mutters.

Peter looks back at Patrick and _oh yeah_ , he's really pissed off. Peter picks up the pace.

"Yeah, okay, the age thing freaks us out. We're all adults, each one of us attached to a lot of issues. You're following?"

"Yeah…"

"Yeah, so, when we see a…we see someone younger than us, doing the extremely dangerous stuff that we're doing, it's like a bad reflection of us and makes us realize what we're doing is absolutely insane."

Peter nods slowly.

"Also, like, sorry, but you're still the definition of a kid, which is anyone under the age of eighteen, and I doubt your parents would be thrilled to know that you've almost died —"

"I wouldn't know," Peter says softly.

Scott stops walking and shuts his eyes. "I'm sorry," he says genuinely, looking Peter directly in the eyes.

"It's just my aunt and me. She knows. She's…not thrilled about it, but. It helps knowing that Mr. Stark is looking out for me."

They look over at Mr. Stark, who is currently having an in-depth discussion with Dr. Strange and Mr. Rocket. Peter is still a little thrown off by a talking racoon.

"Talking racoon," Scott sighs.

"Yeah, it's weird," Peter admits.

Scott nods.

"I get it, but…I'm in. I'm an Avenger. It's too late," Peter says.

Scott has an expression on his face that Peter can't decipher. The closest Peter can proximate it to be is sad. "You still have a few years left as a kid. Trust me, you're going to miss it like no other. Like, I'm so jealous of Cassie. Not having adult responsibilities."

Well, he does have a point. Peter appreciates not having to really worry about rent and groceries. 

"Well, that's my two cents on it," Scott adds with a self-deprecating shrug. "Not sure if this is considered weird, but, if you want my number for anything…like a backup in case Tony Stark is busy, which I mean, he seems busy a lot. You can have it."

On paper it probably reads as weird, but Scott seems really nice and chill and he's right – Mr. Stark is a busy man. So, Peter takes out his phone and dials in Scott Lang's number.

"I also really want to know about your webs," Scott says, gesturing with his hands. "Pew, pew."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I mean the engineering is really outstanding, at least from what I could gather from a distance –"

"You're interested in that?"

"I have a Masters in Engineering, so, duh."

Peter beams. "Yeah! I’d love to talk about it!"

"Awesome."

Hope and Mr. Pym come to join them and Hope _looks_ at Scott, who says, "What? He's like, a genius. He's going to show me how his webs work." He gestures with his hands again. "Pew, pew."

Hope rolls her eyes.

Peter is almost tongue-tied when he shakes Mr. Pym's hand. He begins to tell Mr. Pym about his suit and Mr. Pym says _if you want an upgrade, feel free to call me –_ and that's when Mr. Stark comes around says, "Back off, I found him first."

Peter smiles at Mr. Pym sheepishly. Mr. Pym glares at Mr. Stark. Scott and Hope stop flirting with each other to stare at the confrontation.

"Trying to recruit your _boy_ for something else, Stark?" Hope snarks.

"And, do I know you?" Mr. Stark inquires testily. "C'mon, Peter, let me properly introduce you to people."

Peter waves at Scott, Hope, and Mr. Pym before being led away.

**

The celebrations last for a week, so he's told, but by the next morning, he's sent back to New York. He's just happy that it's summer vacation, so he can spend most of his time being Spider-Man.

Well, at least after a break forcibly imposed by Aunt May. "You saved the universe and gave me at least five gray hairs – _please_ just sleep in until noon and eat too many ice cream pops like a normal teenager in the summer."

So that's what he's doing. For the most part. He only sleeps in past noon two days in a row and then after that he's waking up during morning hours. And he watches Netflix. He really likes _The Office._ He hangs out with Ned and MJ, who remind him more than anything else that he's here.

There doesn't seem to be a lot going on – the world is oddly quiet in the wake of, well…everything.

He still feels…antsy. He rubs his arms and legs on impulse, afraid to maybe find himself disintegrating. He thinks about calling Mr. Stark, but he doesn't. He goes through his short list of contacts and realizes he doesn't have anyone to really talk about this with.

Although, maybe –

He dials Scott's number on impulse. It rings a few times and Peter is about to hang up when Scott says, " _Hello? Hello? Hi!_ "

"Hi, uh, Scott –"

" _Hey! Peter! What's up?_ "

"Are you…did I interrupt something?" Peter asks awkwardly.

" _What? No! I've just been running from a bunch of ten-year-olds. I thought I was in shape, but I'm not._ "

Peter smiles. "Oh, well, I was just – calling. To see when – _if_ you still wanted to talk about –"

"Yes, _oh my God. Absolutely. How about later? Gotta drop Cassie and her friends off at six my time, so…how about seven my time? Ten yours?_ "

"Yeah, that would be great," Peter says, pleased.

" _Awesome. Talk to you later!_ "

"Bye!" 

Peter hangs up, looking forward to later.

**

Peter is prepared – he has his spec drawings, he has his current suit out and the variations prior. He briefly considers the possibility that Mr. Stark would be angry to know that he's sharing mechanical aspects of his suit to someone associated with Pym, but they're into ants and wasps…not spiders. So, it's totally fine.

Scott requests to video chat promptly at seven, which takes Peter off guard, but he's happy to do so. Scott's hair is wet and slicked back and he has a notebook and pencil in front of him.

" _I feel like a student again_ ," Scott admits with a laugh.

"Yeah, guess I feel like a teacher."

" _Well, Grasshopper is willing to learn._ "

Peter must make a face expressing his confusion.

" _It's from a show –_ Kung Fu _? From 1972-1975 – David Carradine? 'Patience, young grasshopper?' Anything?_ "

"Oh yeah, heard that phrase. Didn't realize it was from such an old show," Peter exclaims.

Scott winces. " _Yikes. That hurts. Okay, well, yeah. I'm an old grasshopper who is willing to put his pride aside to learn from the youngin._ " He gestures with his hand to Peter, urging him to begin.

"Okay, well, I guess it's best to start with my first attempt –" Peter starts, holding up his drawings from two years ago.

Peter really hasn't been able to talk about his work with anyone, really. So, as he explains it to Scott, he's taken aback by how impressed Scott is, how he asks questions, like, questions that show much he knows and wants to understand.

In fact, he's so into explaining the mechanics of determining the best fingers to activate the webs that he misses Scott being distracted by something out of the frame. He only realizes when Scott says, " _Hey, I'm video-chatting with Peter_."

Peter stops talking. He hears the clicking of high heels and then sees part of Hope's face peering into the laptop.

" _Oh, hi, Peter, I'm sorry to interrupt, I didn't know. I just – I figured I'd save you from your college meal of peanut butter sandwiches and bring Chinese_ ," Hope says, more to Scott, lifting a takeout bag.

"No, I'm sorry, uh, thanks for your time Mr. Lang," Peter says quickly, feeling awkward. "Have a good night!" he throws in and then shuts his laptop, muttering a _fuck_ under his breath.

He swallows as the silence buzzes loudly in his ears. He picks up his phone charging on the nightstand and plays something loud to clear the air, to help him breathe.

**********

Scott is quick to grab his phone and draft a text.

"I'm really sorry, Scott," Hope says again.

"It's fine, seriously, I'm always happy to see you," he says, lifting his head to smile at her. She smiles back. "I just…need to…make sure…he doesn't feel like I ditched him…"

From Scott Lang/Ant-Man:  
 _I'm not letting you off the hook – do you want to continue tomorrow? I'm working from home – free all day._

Scott waits a minute, then another, and gets a response back:

From Peter Parker/Spider-Man:  
 _I don't want to disrupt your work day!_

From Scott Lang/Ant-Man:  
 _You're totally not, seriously. Promise. When is it good for you? The afternoon?_

From Peter Parker/Spider-Man:  
 _Would same time tomorrow be okay? I have plans with my friend building a Lego Millennium Falcon._

__Scott can imagine Peter wincing three-thousand miles away for that confession. But hey, having an interest in Legos is better than having an interest in burglarizing the ultrawealthy, so Scott indulges:  
 _  
_From Scott Lang/Ant-Man:  
 _How many pieces?_

From Peter Parker/Spider-Man:  
 _5,195 pieces.  
_  
From Scott Lang/Ant-Man:  
 _OMG!!! That's so many!!!_

From Peter Parker/Spider-Man:  
 _I know!! It's going to be so cool._

__From Scott Lang/Ant-Man:  
 _Take pictures & talk to you tomorrow ☺_

__From Peter Parker/Spider-Man:  
 _Will do!! ☺_

__Scott smiles and puts away his phone.

Hope has already taken all the containers out of the bag and has started setting the table. 

"I'm sorry," Scott says, getting to his feet immediately. "Just needed to make sure he was okay."

"It's fine. I just…didn't realize you were keeping in touch with him?"

"Yeah, well, he's great and I mean, I figured it would be good. I just – I feel like no one is looking out for him," Scott admits while he opens containers.

"Stark is," Hope points out, going to the fridge and taking out two beers.

She hands one to him. "No, he's not," Scott says as he twists off the cap. "Not in the way that matters."

She sits down and looks at him, wordlessly urging him to explain. 

"Okay," he starts, taking her plate and filling it up with food. "Spring roll?"

"Yeah, thanks. There are three containers of duck sauce and two of them are for me," she says.

"Yeah, yeah." He slides the two small containers of duck sauce over to Hope. "Okay, so yeah." He fills his own plate and starts shoveling lo mein and sesame chicken into his mouth. "Look, uh…I just noticed that they – you know, the head honchos of the Avengers – kind of treat Peter the way they treat me. It's fine to do that to me – think I'm an idiot and don't add much value, I get it. I don't care. I mean, I _care_ , it's crap and kind of distressing, but I can handle it." He eats a little more. "Peter's a teenager. Rejection sucks at that age."

Hope frowns as she twirls lo mein on her fork. "They are assholes," she confirms. "I just think it's a whole sausage fest."

"You are so right," Scott says, nodding. "I mean, Scarlet – uh, Wanda – is like the most powerful person _ever_ and yet she's been delegated to like, backup, even before the Snap? It's ridiculous. And Bl – Natasha? Like, she's smarter than most of them! Why isn't she leading the group with Captain America? If they wanted a co-leader that was more…cynical, then they should've gone with her –"

"Scott," Hope interrupts him.

"Yeah?"

"I'm only going to say this once and it better not go to your head."

"Okay…"

She steels herself like she's going to into a life-risking situation, so Scott assumes that she's going to reveal some of her emotions, given the context of the situation: them sitting at the table with really good Chinese food. "They're assholes because they think you're not good enough, which is bullshit. You're an amazing man and you're a hero, just as much as Captain America or Iron Man or Thor. Yes, you're more…smaller scale, excuse the double entendre, but you – _we_ all have the same goal, which should be it. And it's not for a lot of them, so, that's on them. Not you."

If Scott is being honest to himself, he is head over heels, "In Too Deep" by Genesis, in love. But he also knows she's careful and pragmatic and not really ready to hear that, so he gets out of his seat and kisses her, tasting duck sauce.

"You're more amazing," he says when he catches his breath.

"Well, that goes without saying," she teases, bringing his lips on hers.

(The Chinese food gets abandoned, but is not forgotten – it's enjoyed again a few hours later.)

**

Hope actually stays the night, which is great – he likes waking up next to her and he's always been partial to morning sex – it starts the day off right. At least it gives him something to think back on when he's getting his ass kicked running eight miles outside and getting the shit beaten out of him sparring.

He only took a week off after saving the universe, but it was clearly too much time and he's paying for it dearly.

Hank comes by the house and begins by threatening him on the damage he's doing to his suit, but that changes once he takes a seat and starts seeing what Scott is working on to improve it.

They bring the suit back to the lab and Scott loses track of time until it's almost seven.

"Crap! I gotta go! I got a very important phone call!" Scott says, pulling on his jacket.

"Who? You only know us and Cassie, Maggie, and Paxton left today to visit Paxton's extended family in Cuba," Hank says, like an asshole.

Janet pats Scott on the back – he really likes her. She's kind, even though she never verbally comes to his defense, she's supportive of his existence.

"It's _Peter Parker_ , you know, _Spider-Man_. We're chatting," Scott retorts.

"You're chatting with a fifteen-year-old?"

"He's sixteen and – ew, okay, no, stop – I'm like…a mentor."

"He's already got one of those – _Tony Stark_ ," Hank spits out.

"Yeah, well, we've established he sucks, so, I'll see you tomorrow," Scott says to Hank and Janet. "And Hope –"

"Tomorrow," Hope confirms.

Scott scrunches his nose in disappointment.

"Have fun being a nerd with your adopted son," she adds.

"Maybe widdle Scott's looking for the big brother he's always wanted," Hank laughs.

Scott throws up a middle finger and leaves them all laughing at him.

**

He makes sure to text Peter that he's running late due to being dragged out of his house by the Pym-van-Dyne clan, but he'll be ready at 7:15.

From Scott Lang/Ant-Man:  
 _Send me pictures of the Falcon!!_

__While gathering his things, he hears his phone chime with two texts. He opens his laptop and the pictures load there. They made some good progress – they have the base of the aircraft.

Scott calls Peter and in lieu of a greeting, says, "It looks great!"

" _It's not much,_ " Peter waves off.

"Gotta start somewhere, right?"

Peter nods, smiling. " _How did you get involved in, uh…all this? Hero stuff?_ "

"Uh, well, Hank Pym recruited me to steal a suit from a bad guy, basically," Scott simplifies.

" _Because of your…expertise?_ "

"In theft?" Scott laughs even though he doesn't mean to. "Yeah, but it's a very specific kind of theft."

" _Yeah, school of Robin Hood! I hope you don't mind, but, I researched you. My aunt remembered you –"_

__" _Hi, Scott Lang!_ " he hears a voice say in the distance.

" _Aunt May!_ " Peter groans.

A door opens and whom Scott assumes to be Aunt May comes into the screen. 

(Okay, Stark wasn't exaggerating by commenting on Peter's aunt being attractive, but it's still weird to say it in front of Peter.) Scott waves.

" _Power to the people – I believed in your cause,_ " she says.

"Uh, thanks."

" _Driving the car into the pool was a little extra, though._ "

Scott nods, unable to argue with that one. "I got a little carried away," he acknowledges.

She nods understandingly. " _Well, don't stay up too late, Peter has to help me in the morning_ ," she says, looking between the two of them. She takes Peter's head and kisses the top of his head.

" _Aunt May –_ "

" _I love you, Peter. Bye, Scott!_ "

"Bye!"

Peter runs a hand through his hair self-consciously. 

"She's very nice," Scott says.

" _Yeah, she's the best_ ," Peter says begrudgingly. " _So, you started off small too?_ "

"Yeah, basically. Germany was like, my debut I guess."

" _Same!_ "

Scott smiles.

**

Scott Lang loves being a dad. He thinks he's good at it. Out of all the jobs he's held in his crazy life, being a dad has been the most rewarding.

He loved blowing raspberries in Cassie's stomach when she was a baby, her laugh the most amazing thing in the world. He loved crawling on the floor with her and eventually walking alongside her. He loved when they started holding conversations. He loved when she began picking her outfits and when she started reading. He loved watching her personality develop and shine.

He loves her innocence.

And after getting a glimpse of it in that hellscape that was 2023, he's also looking forward to when she gets older, when they can really talk about things. Like teaching her how to drive – he remembers having good conversations with his dad when he was learning.

Maybe that's why he likes Peter – he's almost an adult – it's there, he can see it – but there's still this _kid_ part that's clinging to him that's so obvious, but Stark doesn't seem really grasp it. Or maybe he does but he's terrified of it, which is likely too.

And the more Scott thinks about it, the angrier he gets.

**

Cassie returns from her ten-day trip to Cuba with a tan and a lot of stories. He listens intently when he takes her out to lunch and when he takes her to get froyo, sitting on a bench outside.

During the middle of a story involving swimming with a dolphin, his phone buzzes with an incoming video call from Peter.

"Sorry, Peanut, give me a sec," Scott says, answering the call. "Hey, Peter."

" _Hey, sorry, I know you have Cassie, but I just need two seconds for you to double-check if my math is right on this_ ," Peter babbles, pressing his notebook to the screen.

"Yeah, sure, let me see…" Scott glances through the equation, but is distracted by Cassie leaning against his arm to look at his phone.

"Who's that, Daddy?"

"This is Peter," Scott says before whispering in her ear, "Spider-Man."

Cassie's eyes widen and she gasps loudly. Scott puts a finger to his mouth in warning to her, and she promptly purses her lips shut.

He smiles and goes back to the equation. "Well, I don't see any mistakes here…I think you're good," Scott says.

" _Thanks_ ," Peter says, dropping the notebook. He sees Cassie and waves excitedly. " _Hi, Cassie, I'm Peter! Nice to meet you!_ "

"You too!" Cassie takes the phone out of his hands. "You're my second favorite hero," she whispers conspiratorially. "After my dad, obviously.”

Peter beams, pleased. " _I am? I'm so honored._ "

"Will you come to San Francisco?" she asks.

" _I would_ love _to go to San Francisco one day,_ " Peter says.

"Yes!"

"Okay, Peanut, let me take this so you can eat what's left of your froyo," Scott says, taking the phone from her.

She quickly starts spooning melting froyo into her mouth.

"Let me know if it works," he says. "Oh, I'm going to start futzing with my right knee on Friday if you're available to help."

" _Yeah, totally, just later in the morning? I like…doing my thing on Thursday nights since it's a party night, you know?_ "

Scott tries not to smile – he doesn't want to laugh at him because it's sweet. Also, it's true – _Thirsty Thursdays_ – a time long since gone. "No problem – nine my time, twelve yours?"

" _Sounds great – speak to you then!_ "

Scott waves and ends the call.

"That's so cool that you work together," Cassie states.

"Yeah, it is cool. He's probably my favorite Avenger," Scott whispers.

They walk off their froyo and Scott is roped into dinner at her house with Maggie and Paxton, who have their own stories to share.

(Honestly, by the end of the night, Scott is tempted to ask them if he can join them on their next trip to Cuba.)

**

Scott doesn't have any contact with the rest of the Avengers. They all saved the world together and yet it feels like high school in that there are _cliques_ in this class of people. Scott never cared for cliques, having friends scattered around in different groups, so he finds this behavior mildly irritating when he considers it.

But he follows the news closely, so he knows when Thor is roaming around Australia helping animals, or when King T'Challa is participating in some sort of Summit with other African countries, or when Sam Wilson is helping the VA with an initiative.

So, he finds out from watching the news that Captain America – Steve Rogers – is traveling around the U.S. He hasn't made any sort of announcement – there have just been blurry pictures of him set from a distance in places like Acadia National Park, Charleston, Key West, Grand Island, and a picture from someone's Instagram page, geotagged Las Vegas.

The thing is, he may not have contact with them, but he _has_ their contact information, so yes, he does have Captain America's cell phone number on his phone. It's crazy.

He figures at one point, if Captain America is doing what Scott thinks he's doing, he's going to stop by San Francisco. So, Scott sends a text, figuring a phone call might come off as too aggressive:

From Ant-Man/Scott Lang:  
 _Hey, Cap, it's Scott – I hope all is well. I saw on the news that you're traveling around the US. Not sure if you know, but I'm living in San Francisco, so if you want a tour guide, I'm around ☺_

__He feels a little dumb saying 'Cap,' but it feels almost too personal to call him Steve.

He expects to wait hours, maybe even days for a response, but he's surprised when his phone begins to buzz. 

_Ohmygodit'sCaptainAmericaCALLINGHIM._

__Scott exhales sharply and picks up. "Hey," he attempts to say coolly and probably sounds insane.

" _Hey, Scott, I got your text. Sorry to call, I know it's…not cool to do. People don't like talking on the phone these days, which still astounds me…_ "

"It's okay. I don't really like texting either, but I don't want my kid calling me an old man," Scott says with a laugh.

" _That's an inevitability, I'm afraid._ "

"Touché."

" _But, anyway, I would love to take you up on that offer. I plan on arriving on Thursday, if that's okay?_ "

"Yeah, that's fine! Just…one thing…"

" _Yes?_ "

"You're gonna have to meet my daughter. She's a fan."

Captain America laughs. " _That's not a problem. Would it be easier if I stopped by your house first?_ "

"Yeah, that's…totally fine." Scott clears his throat. "I'll text you the address."

" _See, that's where I find texting helpful. Sounds good. Thanks for offering, Scott, I appreciate it. Take care._ "

"Bye."

Scott hangs up and basically squeals like a little girl and he has absolutely no shame about it.

**

Scott doesn't tell Cassie, wanting it to be a surprise. He does tell Peter though, who is excited and jealous and wonders if maybe he'll finish his travel in New York City, if maybe he should reach out too – how cool would it be to see the two native New Yorkers come together – the oldest and the youngest of the Avengers?

Scott promises to bring it up and they fist-punch their screens.

Scott asks Hope if she wants to be there, but she makes some jokes about _not getting in the way_. But eventually she caves and says _maybe I'll meet you after I'm done working for the day._

Scott makes sure his house is spotless and even Cassie notices. He is vague with her questions and when the doorbell rings, he tells her to answer the door.

"It could be a stranger!" she argues.

"Very true, but in this case, I know who it is."

Cassie narrows her eyes, but goes to the door. She puts her hands on her hips and widens her stance. "Who is it?" she demands.

"This defeats the purpose of the surprise," Scott sighs. "Don't answer that question!" he calls out, going over to the door and opening it without fanfare. "Tada!"

And there is Captain America, with his arms crossed, muscles bulging, and a charming smile on his face. It's unfair and ridiculous. Cassie gasps and then screams. Scott is used to the pitch, but Captain America certainly is not, judging by the faint wince.

"You're _here_!" she exclaims before turning to Scott. "Oh my _God_!"

Scott gestures Cap into his house just to avoid people noticing. Meanwhile, Cassie is talking a million miles a minute:

"You're my third favorite superhero, after my dad – he's number one of course, and Peter is number two –"

"Peter? Spider-Man?" Steve clarifies, his eyebrows raised a little.

"Yeah! He's great – he helps the neighborhood, you know? It's like you can really trust him," she explains.

Cap smiles softly. "That's very true. He's made of good stock, coming from New York."

"West coast, best coast, though," Cassie states. Cap’s look of confusion makes Scott laugh.

"So, can I get you anything? Water? Food?" Scott offers, masking his laugh with a cough.

"A water would be good, thank you." Cap looks around the house. "You have a very nice home."

"Thank you." Scott takes out a water bottle and hands it to Cassie, who dutifully rushes over to hand it to Cap.

"I just need to drop her off at her mom's since she has a birthday party to go to and then we can go," Scott says. "Fair warning, you may get a similar reaction from her."

"Jim will be worse," Cassie says.

Scott points to her. "True."

Cassie is right – Paxton by far has the most dramatic reaction with tears and hugging. Scott takes a few pictures and honestly, Captain America does not get enough credit for being such a patient and nice guy. People already know that about him, but it's something else to experience it firsthand.

"Sorry about that, I underestimated their reaction. They know about my being Ant-Man and theoretically knew that I've met everyone they've been watching on the news for years, but I guess it didn't sink in," Scott says as they're driving to Union Square, figuring that's the easiest place to start.

"It's okay. They seem like nice people. And it's nice to see how you're a strong family unit for Cassie."

"Trust me, it wasn't like that in the beginning. The last three years have been…something."

The radio is playing a classic rock station, but even the music playing is too modern for Cap. Scott hums along to "Layla" and Cap looks out the window, admiring the scenery.

**

After giving a respectable tour of San Francisco proper, feeding Cap sushi from Japantown for lunch, and riding on a few cable cars, which prompted an interesting discussion involving The Fray song, which Scott honestly still doesn't get, but at least it's a bonding experience – they go to the last stop of the day:

"Wow," Cap says, standing in Crissy Field, admiring the Golden Gate Bridge from afar. "This is quite the view." He takes the time to stare at it for a few minutes before taking pictures.

"It's one-point-seven miles long," Scott says, taking a photograph for himself and sending it to Peter with some facts about the engineering design that he assumes that Cap probably wouldn't find as interesting. "I gotta ask," Scott starts, pocketing his phone.

"Why am I traveling around the country?" Cap finishes for him.

Scott shrugs. "Yeah."

Steve sighs. "You know, you're not the first person to offer me a tour of wherever they're from. Bruce did – he hasn't been in Virginia in a while, but he offered. Tony wanted to take me around Los Angeles. Rhodey promised me the best American Revolution tour in Philly. But I turned them all down."

Scott nods. "Right, because you knew they'd ask questions and you don't want to answer any, I got it."

"Kind of, but no," Cap corrects him, turning to face Scott. "It's because I think most of us lost sight of the smaller picture. Of saving just one person because they're in pain or stopping a guy from stealing a bike on the street." Cap glances back at the bridge. "I'm Captain America and I had barely seen this country growing up. I didn't even leave New York until I joined the army. How am I supposed to carry this name with this kind of ignorance?"

"To be fair, you were busy saving the world and the universe," Scott reminds him. "Still important." He rubs a hand along his jaw. "But I guess now that the universe is safe and the earth is safe…I guess now's a good time as any to be on the ground again."

When Cap doesn't respond, Scott looks to him to see him smiling. "Exactly."

Cap's phone buzzes with a text, which he responds to with a chuckle. "I'm sending pictures to Bucky," he explains. "Trying to convince him to come home, but I think he's at peace in Wakanda."

Scott nods. "That's good. If anyone deserves some peace it's him, probably. Seemed tired."

Cap nods to Scott's phone in his pocket. "Who were you taking a picture for?"

"Peter. He hasn't been to California before."

"Peter Parker," Cap says, shaking his head with a smile. "Tony really found an interesting kid, that's for sure."

_Found him_. Ripped him out of his life and thrown him into something he didn't have full knowledge of.

"Did you know about him recruiting Peter?" Scott asks, unable to help himself.

Cap pauses in thought. "I remembered before the Accords that Tony was teasing me about an 'up and comer' who was solving petty crime in 'my neck of the woods.' I never knew who it was until Peter showed up at the airport."

"Don't you think that it's a little messed up recruiting a fourteen-year-old for his own agenda?"

"He believed he was right."

"Yeah, and he probably only presented Peter with his view and some facts and expected Peter to make a choice based on only that."

Cap stares at him with what Scott is starting to call his _I'm an old man and I'm being patient face_. "Everybody knew what was going on."

"Uh, no offense Steve, but he was fifteen and busy with school – he shouldn't be expected the follow the complexities of world politics, especially when half of it is in total darkness – and on top of that, expect him to fight for it!"

"My team did the same with you," Steve points out.

"The big difference is that I'm an _adult_ and I followed the news. I knew what team I was on before they even knocked on my door. It took them a minute to convince me and half of that time was spent finding a granola bar for the ride. What Stark did was propaganda."

Suddenly, Steve loses his cool, glaring at Scott. "I know what propaganda is," he argues. "Did you forget what time I came from?"

"Are you forgetting what time you're in?" Scott snaps before shutting his mouth, breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth. "I get you care about Stark, but look at his actions as if he were a stranger. It was _wrong_ to involve a kid, _period_. And on top of that, it was wrong to not give him enough information to give him the chance to have an informed opinion, let alone make an informed choice. After all, as you know, you should know better than anyone how that looks like."

Steve leans back, stunned. Scott doesn't even realize how upset he is until he found he's out of words because his throat is swollen shut.

"Uh, sorry," Scott says after a few minutes of painful silence.

(He also called him _Steve_ – who does he think he is? Even after traveling through time and saving the future, fixing the past – they’re not close at all.)

"Don't apologize," Steve says, crossing his arms against his chest. "You're right." He nods. "You're right. I knew he didn't understand it, that he was just repeating what Tony said." He clenches his jaw. "It was wrong."

Scott checks his phone because he can't look over at Steve. Peter sent him seven texts – questions and pulling paragraphs from Wikipedia, probably. It makes him smile.

"You know, it's great that you're looking out for him. I know we didn't do our due diligence, but I don't want you to assume that Tony doesn't care about Peter. Because he does. A lot."

Scott puts his phone away. "Yeah, well, the thing is, Steve – sometimes that's not good enough. Parenting 101."

Scott has admired Captain America for years – he was a legend and now he's a hero, who wouldn't? – but when it comes to what Scott believes in, he will go toe-to-toe with the most moral man he knows.

They're mostly silent in the car. Scott is dropping Steve off at a house not too far from where Scott lives. Steve explains that the son of a soldier he served with in World War II is living there with his partner and he's hoping to hear about how he's lived the last few decades.

"Thanks, Scott. For everything," Steve says once Scott parks in the driveway of the house.

"You're welcome. Thank you, also, for meeting my kid, my ex-wife and her fiancé."

"You're a good man, Scott Lang. And you have a good family. I hope you're not pulled away from it again," Steve says seriously.

"…Same here."

Steve offers his hand and Scott shakes it for a normal amount of time.

**********

The next time Peter video chats with Scott, he asks how spending time with Captain America was, expecting the same level of enthusiasm they always have when they talk about him, but instead Scott is rather…subdued about it.

"Please don't tell me he's secretly an asshole, I honestly don't think my heart can take it," Peter says, bringing a hand to his heart to show he's serious.

" _Oh no, he's genuinely so nice, don't worry_ ," Scott is quick to reassure him. " _We just ended up talking about Germany._ "

Peter furrows his brow – Captain America and Scott were on the same side – why would it be bad to talk about?

"Oh," Peter says, remembering that he and Scott were not on the same side. "Can I ask you something?"

" _Sure, go ahead._ "

Peter bites his bottom lip. "Why were you on Captain America's side? In Germany?"

Scott nods in a way that Peter suspects that Scott was expecting this question at some point. Peter gives him the time to think, searching 'Sokovia Accords' online, going straight to the Wikipedia page. It's a long article.

" _I had been following what's been going on_ ," Scott suddenly says. " _I watched the news, read the paper. I followed the progression of its development. I also compared it against what I knew from experience and history. I considered what the long run would be – the endgame. That's how I came to be on Captain America's side_."

"But…you were recruited too," Peter says, confused.

" _Yeah, but I already knew what I believed in before they showed up. Did you?_ " Scott asks kindly.

Peter flushes. It's almost reminiscent of when his aunt shames him for not knowing what's been going on in the news. "Well, I mean, Mr. Stark gave me the important strokes of the situation," he says defensively.

Scott nods. " _Yeah. I get it. He's…admirable, right? You trust him_."

Peter nods. "Yeah, I do."

Scott stares at him for a moment. " _Next time_ ," he starts slowly. " _I recommend doing your research. Just to make sure. You never know what you might dig up._ "

Peter wants to argue more, he said _how_ he came to Captain America's side, but not _why_ , he didn't share his reasons, but maybe that's the point – he has to do his research. Figure out what Captain America was really standing for – and even what Mr. Stark was standing for.

Of course, he knows the basics of the Sokovia Accords – it was all that was talked about for almost a week in his U.S. History class. He knows that people wanted accountability for the damage the Avengers have inflicted around the world. He also recognizes that some collateral damage is a small price to pay in the face of half the world being blown up, or half of all life in the universe being eliminated –

Wait, no, he's not supposed to think like that.

So, he knows that people want some sort of regulation for heroes. How come they – or _we_ , he guesses – get to ignore established laws? Shouldn't they gain permission by other countries to enter like everyone else?

_Yeah, but, what if there's a crisis? What if it takes too long?_

Peter scrolls down to the bottom of the Wikipedia page for the Notes section.

"Hey, I actually have some work to do…can we reschedule?" Peter asks, half paying-attention as he starts opening tab after tab after tab.

" _Yeah, no problem. Bye, Peter._ "

"Later." 

Scott hangs up and Peter loses sense of the world outside of his computer.

**

Peter spends almost six hours reading articles, watching interviews. Peter's personal favorite was John Oliver's segment of the Accords, but he's always found him awesome and easy to follow, not to mention he's hilarious, even though the segment presented facts that were undoubtedly not funny at all.

Like featuring a clip of a speech given by a grad student from Germany, who linked the first set of laws of the Accords to the beginnings of the Third Reich. That made him a little nauseous.

Now he gets what Scott meant about the _endgame_.

So, at three in the morning, he sends an e-mail to Mr. Stark, requesting a phone call with him and Captain America. He gets an automatic reply that Mr. Stark is available 8am his time, 11am Peter's.

His head is still buzzing when he rests in bed. Now it makes sense – why Captain America was so against the Accords, enough to rip the Avengers apart. It's like the past coming back to haunt him; he knows better than anyone what happens when people are singled out.

Peter swallows over the lump in his throat. He thinks there probably should be some sort of regulation or accountability. While Captain America is the definition of good and just – what about the future? And they have done a lot of damage to cities – there should be some sort of insurance or something. But he's also completing readings for his World History class this coming year – he knows the government agendas can change depending on who's in charge. And the UN stands for good things but is still political like everything else.

Eventually, he falls asleep.

He wakes up to his phone vibrating on his chest and oh _shit_ , it's 11am.

He clears his throat and answers it. "Hello?"

" _Rise and shine_!" Mr. Stark sings.

Peter rubs his eyes and forces himself to sit up.

" _Good morning, Peter._ "

Now, Peter is awake. "Good morning!" he says to Captain America.

" _Alright, kid, you requested this little phone chat – what's up?_ " Mr. Stark says.

Peter wishes he pushed for a later time in the day so he could've mentally prepared better. "I, uh…wanted to talk about the Sokovia Accords."

There's a pause that makes him nervous. " _Okay…_ " Captain America encourages.

"I-I know that they're currently not enforcing them right now, given…everything…but, I wanted to let you know that…I don't want to be involved the way I was…going forward."

Mr. Stark barks out a laugh, but he's not amused. " _Well, yeah, we all established that was a bad call – you shouldn't have been brought in at all –_ "

"That's not what I meant," Peter interrupts him.

Silence.

" _What do you mean?_ " Captain America asks.

"I mean I'm rethinking which side of the argument I'm on."

Silence again.

" _Steve, would you mind getting off the call? Thanks buddy,_ " Mr. Stark says.

" _Sure. Bye, Peter._ "

"Bye."

And now it's just him and Mr. Stark.

Mr. Stark sighs. " _What is this about?_ " he asks.

"What?"

" _Does this have to do with Lang?_ "

Peter is grateful they're not video chatting because he's surprised. "What do you mean?"

" _I know you've been in contact with him._ "

"Why are you saying it like that? We're all on the same team! We fought the big bad a few weeks ago!"

" _I don't understand why you're thinking about this now_."

"Why, is it not convenient?" Peter retorts. 

" _That's not what I meant._ "

"Then what, Mr. Stark?"

" _I just don't get where this is coming from – what did Lang say to you?_ "

"He didn't _tell_ me anything. He didn't say _why_ he sided with Cap, he only told me how he came to that choice."

" _Right, okay, and you think we shouldn't be held accountable at all?_ "

"No, I think we do need to be held accountable on some level, but I don't think this isn't the way to do it."

" _And do you have a better idea? A sixteen-year-old has an idea that hundreds of adults haven't come up with already?_ "

Peter clenches his jaw. "I'm not claiming to have an idea of how to figure it out. All I'm saying is it's not right."

" _And why not?_ "

Peter exhales. "I have three kids in my grade who are descendants of Holocaust survivors –"

" _Oh, this argument_ ," Mr. Stark sighs. 

"Why are you saying it like that? It's a possibility!" Peter argues, offended more than anything else. 

“ _We’re not an oppressed people, Peter. In fact, I’d argue that we’re doing some oppressing ourselves._ ”

“How can you say we’re oppressing people when we’re saving the universe? Aren’t we liberating people from the likes of Thanos?”

“ _People are_ dying _and we’re_ destroying _cities._ ”

“So that means we have to be regulated and deployed like weapons?”

" _So, you're just coming from a selfish perspective_ ," Mr. Stark surmises. “ _You don’t want to be limited._ ” 

"No, what I'm saying is _everyone_ loses with this. If we have to wait to be deployed somewhere, it can be too late! Or what if we're sent somewhere that doesn't need us? And yeah, what about us? Should we slap targets on our backs for someone to take us out? Then what? It's a slippery slope!" Peter swallows. "And what happens if there are more of me, Mr. Stark? More kids who get these powers – do you want them on a registry?"

That shuts him up, but it doesn't make Peter feel any better.

" _Okay. I get it. I see where you're coming from. You're young, you're still learning. I can promise you that you won't be involved in any fight like that again._ "

"My voice still matters."

" _Of course._ "

The silence is unbearable. 

"I just wanted to be honest, Mr. Stark," Peter says quietly. 

" _Well, I hear you loud and clear._ "

"Okay, uh good. So…how's Ms. Potts?"

" _She's great, baby's developing smoothly, uh listen, I gotta run I only allocated fifteen minutes for this call - I have a lot of meetings, a doctor appointment later, you know how it goes_."

Tears sting in Peter's eyes. "Yeah, of course. Thanks for taking the time to fit me into your schedule," he says, not even sure if he's being genuine or sarcastic. 

" _Any time. Bye, Peter._ "

"Bye, Mr. Stark." 

Even though Mr. Stark couldn't see him, Peter is proud of himself for holding back tears until he hangs up.

**

Aunt May and Peter go out for dinner and Peter is picking at his pineapple fried rice.

"I heard you were on the phone this morning? Was it Tony?"

"How did you know?"

She frowns. "Because he's usually responsible for that kicked puppy look on your face."

"It was my fault - I brought up the Accords, which is a sensitive subject," Peter jumps to his defense. 

"Why did you want to talk to him about it?" she asks. 

Peter puts his fork down. "I was with Mr. Stark on it originally, but now I don't think so."

She takes a few bites of drunken noodles. "I see." She eats more. "What made you change your mind?"

He snorts. "I took the time to really think about it."

"That's good."

Peter nods.

"I'm happy that someone with a lot of clout has taken you under his wing. I want great things for you and I think he can help with that."

Peter remembers Mr. Stark stating he had pull at MIT and he clenches his jaw. Aunt May pauses long enough that he looks up from his plate. 

"But I also worry that he...makes you feel bad sometimes."

"He's great," he counters, but it almost feels hollow.

She nods in what Peter thinks is agreement. "And what side is Scott on?"

"He was on Captain America's - still is, I guess."

"Have you talked about it with him?"

"A little. He inspired me to research. We haven't had like, an in-depth conversation about it."

"I like him," she says. "I mean, not a fan of the criminal history, but he seems like a good guy."

"He is. He seems like a really good dad, too."

"I can see that."

He doesn't know how to answer that, so he picks up his fork and begins eating.

**

Peter fills Ned in a little - just that he thinks he's changing his mind on the Accords. He doesn't get into the botched phone call or his suspicions that Mr. Stark really doesn't like Scott.

"You have two heroes fighting over you," Ned states in awe. 

"I do not," Peter dismisses. "Mr. Stark has done so much for me."

"No doubt, I mean your suits just keeps getting better and better."

"Yeah."

"And what's Ant-Man done for you?" 

Peter can't necessarily qualify it in the way he can with Mr. Stark - all the gear and tech. He's seen a lot of the world - the universe - because of him. 

Scott is...listening. Checking his math. Helping him with a random summer assignment involving _Death of a Salesman_ , giving his perspective on the American Dream as an ex-con. He's...there. Available. 

(Peter doesn't feel like he's a nuisance.)

"He's just there. He's like..." the word comes to him at once, but he doesn't want to speak it into the universe. 

"Yeah," Ned says, understanding. 

Peter swallows thickly and goes back to finding the one piece he needs to finish the left wing of the Millennial Falcon.

**

Peter gets a call from Captain America when he's with MJ. He knows he looks insane, stuttering out that this call is extremely important and he'll _textherlaterbyesorry!!!_

"Hey," Peter says in a squeaky voice. "What's up?"

" _Hi - I figured as the two of the only native New Yorkers, we should get together. What are you doing now?_ "

"Just...boppin' around..." Peter says. He pauses. _Fuck it._ "Wanna come to Queens?"

" _Only if you come to Brooklyn._ "

"Deal."

They meet up in Long Island City by 21st Street for easy access to the G, but Peter spends the first fifteen minutes complaining about gentrification while Captain America continues to express disbelief that Long Island City is a thriving neighborhood at all – he remembers hearing about the Midtown Tunnel and Queensboro Bridge being built when he was a kid.

Queens is Peter's heart and soul, but Brooklyn is fine – frankly, he likes it even more with Captain America giving him a tour, having him imagine what it was like in 1941 when everyone was gathered around radios to listen to the Dodgers hit a double.

Captain America is still not over the Brooklyn Dodgers now being the Los Angeles Dodgers. Peter tells him about the glory of the Mets. Or, well. He tells him about the Mets. He's a little concerned when Peter gets into the 80s, but in the end, Captain America buys a Mets hat.

Peter begs for a picture at some point of both of them in costume wearing their matching hats – he already has a caption for when Ned would upload it to Spider-Man's official Instagram: _What do the oldest and youngest Avenger have in common besides being established in NYC? M-E-T-S!_

__He's sure it'll spark a lot of hate, but _whatever_. Everyone should understand. 

(Captain America does wonder out loud if maybe he should be a Cowboys fan since it's _America's team_ , which is, frankly, sacrilegious. Peter will take that to his grave though because he loves and respects Captain America -)

"Hey, you can call me Steve, you know," Cap – _Steve_ says when they're eating sushirittos in Prospect Park.

"Okay, Mr. Rogers," Peter says, which makes him laugh. "Okay, wait, no. You can't be that."

"Why not?"

"Has anyone told you about Mr. Rogers?"

Cap pauses. "…Won't you be my neighbor?"

Peter thinks about it. "Maybe it fits." Peter will just call him Cap, at least for now.

"It's good to be home, even if it's not so familiar," Cap says after a minute of silence.

Peter can't even imagine. "How was traveling around the country?"

"It was…very enlightening. Met a lot of interesting people." Cap smiles at Peter. "Scott told you?" 

Peter unlocks his phone and pulls up a picture Scott sent to him of Cassie and Cap together. 

Cap smiles fondly. "She's a cute kid."

"Yeah, she's great. I would be her permanent babysitter if we weren't on opposite ends of the country."

They finish their meals in compatible silence. Peter checks his phone to find that Aunt May texted him - _ETA?_

"Hey, uh, before you leave, I was hoping you could do me a favor..."

"Sure, what is it?"

"...Can you come to Queens and meet my aunt?"

He smiles. "Yeah, of course."

"Awesome." He quickly types a response: _Cap is coming to the apartment get ready!!!_

And she responds: _THANK U FOR THE HEADS UP I'M GETTING YOU A PRESENT.  
_  
Peter smiles and pockets his phone. 

"Did you...warn your aunt I was coming?"

"It's a woman thing," Peter explains. 

"I see."

Peter notes that Cap walks a little slower now as they make their way to Queens again. 

When they arrive forty-five minutes later, Peter lets them in and Aunt May is on the phone, cursing about an issue that occurred at work, apparently. She's dressed casually enough, but he can tell she put in effort with her hair. 

She turns around and stutters through an _I'll call you back_. 

"Wow, it's like...you're not even real," she sighs taking a few steps forward. "I'm May, Peter's aunt, it's an honor to meet you." She holds out her hand. 

He takes it. "I'm Steve, and the honor is mine."

She flushes and Peter tries not to make a face since yeah, Captain America has that effect on everyone.

"Would you like something to drink? We have water, orange juice with some pulp, Diet Coke, La Croix -"

"Water would be great, thank you."

"Ice?"

"No, thank you."

"Yeah, I bet you've had enough ice in your lifetime," she says, and she and Peter snort at the same before adopting looks of pure horror.

To Peter's immense relief, Cap laughs. "It's true, I have."

The tension eases and Aunt May provides Cap with water while Peter helps himself to a La Croix. When he cracks open the can, his phone buzzes with a video chat request from Scott. 

"Sorry, it's Scott," Peter says when Aunt May gives him a pointed look. 

Peter takes the call and is surprised to see Cassie's face. He grins. "Hi, Cassie, what's going on? Where's your dad?"

Cassie sighs and wordlessly moves her phone to show the scene behind her: Scott and Hope playing what seems to be Twister and arguing with each other about who's not totally on the right color. From what Peter can tell, Hope is extremely flexible, but Scott has abs that can't be discounted. 

" _I'm bored_ ," Cassie states with a pout. 

Peter wordlessly tilts his phone so Cap is in the shot. 

She gasps. " _Captain America!_ "

_"What?!_ " Scott squawks before making some sort of pained noise and Hope cackling in victory. " _Ow, geez,_ " Scott laments as he comes into view, limping over to Cassie's side.

"Scott," Cap greets, not even bothering to hide his amusement.

" _Steve_ ," Scott says.

Hope goes over to the phone and blinks in surprise.

"Ms. Van Dyne," Steve greets. 

" _Such a gentleman,_ " Hope says approvingly, nudging Scott in the ribs.

Scott rolls his eyes. " _Aren't Brooklyn and Queens supposed to hate each other or something?_ "

"We bond over our mutual refusal to go to the Bronx and the burning hatred for Staten Island," Peter replies.

" _What's Staten Island?_ " Cassie asks. 

"You don't need to know," Peter and Cap say at the same time. 

"Wow, that's the meanest thing I've ever heard you say," Peter says. 

"Well, only native New Yorkers can say such things. I will defend it to the best of my ability if anyone else were to make the comment."

Scott and Peter share a look and Scott drops his head against Cassie's hiding his snickering. 

"Do we ask why you were playing Twister?" Peter asks. 

“Twister?" Cap echoes. 

Aunt May is looking up when it was invented (1966, makes sense) and Cassie is patiently explaining the game with Scott in the background demonstrating. Peter looks to Hope and is surprised to see how soft her expression is, listening to Cassie and watching Scott flail on a mat. 

At one point, Cap's phone rings and Peter peeks at the screen to see Sam Wilson's name. 

Cap puts the phone on speaker. "Hi, Sam."

" _'Hi, Sam'? You've been gone for almost two months and yet you don't tell your dear friend you're back in our hometown?_ "

"Sorry, was getting an update on my borough," Cap says. "I'm currently with Peter and his aunt in Queens."

" _You couldn't pay me to go to Queens._ "

"Where are you from?" Peter asks excitedly. 

" _Harlem._ "

" _Who's Sam?_ " Cassie asks. 

" _Who's that?_ " Sam asks. 

"We're on a video call with Scott Lang and his daughter Cassie. Cassie, this is Sam, he's Falcon."

Cassie gasps. " _Really? Hi Mr. Falcon!_ "

Sam chuckles. " _Hi, Cassie. It's nice to meet you._ "

" _Hi, Sam_ ," Scott offers. 

" _No._ "

Cassie giggles and Hope hides a smirk behind her hand. 

" _Oh, come on, did saving the universe mean nothing?_ "

" _No._ "

" _We were teaching Mr. Cap about Twister,_ " Cassie says. 

Sam laughs loudly. " _I love finding what little things have slipped through your education._ "

Cap grumbles, "You try learning at least seventy years' worth of pop culture in less than ten and see how you do."

" _Do you know the floss?_ " Scott asks with a serious expression. 

"What?" 

" _Peanut, why don't you demonstrate_ ," Scott urges Cassie. 

" _Wait, hold on, I want to see this, I'm calling you back,_ " Sam says quickly. 

Soon Sam is on video and they have to configure the phones so everyone can be seen. Cassie doing the floss is the best thing ever and soon Scott is going into the Macarena, which Cassie and Peter complain that it's too old, which upsets everyone else in the conversation. 

" _What happened to time - 1993 was 5 years ago_ ," Scott sighs. 

" _Tell me about it. I hate that there are kids born after 2000_ ," Sam agrees. 

" _God, right? No offense, Cassie, but the fact that you were born in 2009 is not real._ "

" _What - 2009?!_ "

" _I know!_ "

" _Guys, seriously?_ " Hope says exasperatedly. 

"I mean, all of you make me uncomfortable being born after 1960," Cap adds. 

The adults all laugh while Peter and Cassie share a virtual fist-bump for being cool Gen Z people. 

" _Well, if you want to swing down to DC where I'm at, let me know,_ " Sam says. 

"Probably tomorrow."

" _Alright, see you soon. Bye, everyone._ "

"Bye!"

Sam disconnects. 

" _We better go too, Cassie needs to eat her Rice Krispie treat before settling in for bed,_ " Scott says.

" _Rice Krispie treat?_ " Cassie asks excitedly.

" _I'm a master baker._ "

" _That's highly debatable,_ " Hope interrupts. 

" _Rude!_ "

" _An excellent cook, yes, but you have issues with the directions. Cassie does a better job than you._ "

" _That was_ one time _–_ "

" _Bye!_ " Hope says with a smile. Cassie sticks her head back for a final bye and the call ends. 

And then there were three. 

"It's nice to speak with each other without impending destruction and death," Peter comments. 

Cap smiles. "Yeah. I forgot how nice." He finishes his water. "I have to go, but thank you for the water. You've raised an amazing young man. We're lucky to have him. And all of us are looking out for him," he says to Aunt May. 

She smiles at him tearfully. "Thank you."

Cap sticks out his hand for Peter to shake. "Thank you for giving me a tour."

"Of course. So...I'll see you around?"

"We'll plan shawarma sometime," Cap says, but Peter doesn't understand the clear reference. "You know, as an Avenger, we do have special privileges with Wakanda," Cap says before he leaves. 

Peter furrows his brow.

Cap sighs and pulls out his phone. "Take down this number." Peter follows his direction and once he's done, Cap adds, "That's Princess Shuri's number."

Peter chokes on his breath and doesn't quite recover it after Cap leaves.

**

Peter doesn't really get what Cap meant by special privileges until he finds out that Princess Shuri is in Oakland doing work for the community. Biting his lip, he sends a text:

To Princess Shuri:  
 _Hi Princess Shuri! This is Peter/Spider-Man – Cap gave me your number. I'm really admiring the work that you're doing in Oakland – I was wondering if maybe I can help out sometime during the summer?_

He's surprised by the quick response:

To Spider-Man/Peter Parker:  
 _Hey!!! ABSOLUTELY! I can swing by to get you – make sure you pack your spidey suit because I'm going to use you for advertisement purposes! ☺_

__"Hey, Aunt May, how do you feel about me earning some community service hours this summer?" Peter asks.

Aunt May isn't thrilled with Peter being alone on the other side of the country, but Princess Shuri reassures her that he will be _taken care of like a prince_. And given the proximity to San Francisco, Scott has also promised to look after him. 

" _You have access to your building roof, right?_ " Princess Shuri asks Peter and Aunt May.

"Yes…" Aunt May says slowly.

" _Great! I'll land there._ "

Peter has seen how advanced the technology is from Wakanda from a distance, but up close? That ship? Peter takes twenty pictures before finally getting inside and taking a hundred more.

He puts on his suit and takes a picture with him and Shuri, sending it to Ned along with dozens of pictures of the cockpit.

_Off to be the friendly neighborhood Spiderman in Oakland! #dontworryitsjustforaweek #wakandaforever #thanksfortheliftprincessshuri #LIVINLARGE_

__By the time they're halfway to Oakland, Peter has Princess Shuri's personal number and private Instagram. He can even call her Shuri, but it'll take some getting used to. His head is filled with Wakandan technology and he tries his best to fill her in on her gaps in American pop culture.

"Holy shit!" Peter says at one point when the clouds break.

"Did you just curse? 'Cause we don't talk like that in this goddamn motherfucking house. Shit," Shuri exclaims.

Oh, and he's finally found his match in speaking Vine.

When they arrive, Peter is given a burrito and _damn_ , this is good, and given a tour of the Wakanda International Outreach Center. They work they're doing with supporting families with low-income, the housing opportunities they're providing, the healthcare they're expanding. At one point, they pass Nakia, whom Shuri explains is "my brother's former girlfriend but now I don't know what they are, but I'm pretty sure they're together and she will be Queen of Wakanda soon enough."

Peter just waves hello.

Shuri explains what she's doing in the Science and Information Exchange sector – primarily educating, going out into communities and fixing things that agencies or governments refused to do. 

(Peter had a feeling that maybe Wakanda was somehow responsible for the fixing of Flint's water – the technology was just a little too magical to be a Stark innovation – but now he's pretty sure that was Shuri.)

Peter has already planned his week – three days working with Nakia, three days working with Shuri, but as for today and tomorrow –

Scott and Cassie are waiting for him outside.

Cassie runs up to him and he gets down on the ground to hug her. "Hi, Cassie! It's so good to see you!"

Cassie pulls away and beams. "We're gonna have _so_ much fun!"

Peter half expects to shake Scott's hand, but Scott just says, "Bring it in," and hugs him tightly. "Glad you can make it out here."

"Me too," Peter says. He turns to look at Shuri, who is watching their interaction with fascination. "Shuri, this is Scott –"

"Hi, Princess Shuri, can I intern with you?" Scott asks, face serious.

Shuri smirks. "You'll have to submit an application like everyone else. And honestly, we don't care much for white people."

Scott nods. "Yeah, that's fair. This is my daughter Cassie – will you take her?"

Cassie looks up at her dad, confused.

Shuri walks up to Cassie and crouches to the ground. "What do you want to do with your life, Cassie Lang?"

Cassie smiles. "I want to help people!"

Shuri nods and pulls out a business card that looks like it's metal. "Call me when you're fourteen."

"Thanks!"

"I'll see you in two days," Shuri says to Peter. "Nice to properly meet you, Scott Lang and Cassie Lang," she says to Scott and Cassie.

Scott drives Peter and Cassie to San Francisco, a sight that he's only seen in movies and television. Scott and Cassie talk about the places they want to take him, but first, to check out the lab. 

Hank Pym isn't thrilled with having someone associated with Tony Stark in his lab, but Hope surprisingly vouches for him and Janet takes a liking to him - she claimed she always wanted to give Hope a brother. 

"Yeah, there's something about only children," Scott comments. Everyone in the room stares pointedly at him. 

"Wow, really? I'm the only one with siblings?"

"I have aunts and uncles?" Cassie asks, surprised. 

"Well, an uncle - he's in Hong Kong doing banking, living that _Crazy Rich Asians_ life and he cut the family off. He's boring, you wouldn't like him," Scott explains to her.

(Scott will tell Peter later that he also had a little sister, but she died when she was four - dry drowning - and passed in her sleep. Scott was seven - he didn't want to freak Cassie out, so he's keeping that to himself for a little while longer.)

((He also tells Peter later that Maggie may be pregnant - she's reminding him of the past, early in their marriage with crappy sleep, craving peaches, and complaining about her chest, but again, is keeping that to himself.))

Hank is hesitant, but eventually starts explaining some physics regarding the quantum realm. Janet describes an otherworldly, minuscule universe. 

"She's painted some amazing pictures too," Scott states. "Janet, you gotta show Peter. Like, she should be putting them in a gallery."

They are impressive and vivid. Janet seems a lot warmer to Scott than Hank is, but that might be because Scott and Hope are definitely serious. 

Hank eventually starts to like Peter, taking joy in complimenting him in order to insult Scott, who takes it with good humor. 

"Listen, kid, screw MIT, the California Institute of Technology –" Hank starts. 

"I went there," Scott interjects. 

"They must've lowered the standards that year," Hank is quick to retort. "It's the place to go, seriously. You'll fit right in."

Peter has a hard time imagining not being in New York, but he can't deny the appeal of being in Southern California learning about engineering and biotechnology.

"Harvard isn't too bad and it's closer to home," Hope points out with a quick smile to Peter. 

Hank waves dismissively, but winks at Hope. 

Peter loves this little family. He also loves Maggie and Paxton, who welcome him with open arms. For a minute, while they're all squeezed at Maggie's table - the Pym-van Dynes, the Langs, himself, he wishes Aunt May were here, or they were all in New York, that the three-thousand miles typically between them never existed at all.

Basically, the trip is going so well, almost perfect, until the next day when Peter, Scott, Hope, and Cassie are walking on Fisherman's Wharf when a huge, fucked up mechanical Godzilla-looking thing comes out of the water.

Oy vey.

**

A few things happen during this unexpected altercation with a hundred-foot-half-mechanical-half-flesh monster causing terror in the San Francisco Bay:

First: Cassie is safe – she's a fast runner and is already on the phone with her mom and Paxton.

Second: Peter is painfully reminded how basic his swimming abilities are due to living in New York City where most kids never learn how to swim because you'd have to be bougie as hell with access to a pool or beach to be proficient.

Third: Peter thinks he and Scott and Hope coordinate really well together – he likes working with a team.

Fourth: Shuri has no qualms about jumping into a fight shooting lasers with war cries.

Fifth: Apparently Wakanda isn't really sharing _everything_ they have because at some point, when Peter has the wind knocked out of him and he's sinking in the Bay, he's pulled out of the water by a familiar mechanical arm; Bucky managed to travel halfway around the world in literally no time at all.

Overall, it's kind of a clusterfuck, but they stop the weird monster thing, which ended up being the _baby_ of some weird Palo Alto tech guy with an obsession with aquatic life. Bad combo.

When they're a safe distance away, on some random rooftop where Peter can regulate his breathing, still coughing up water, Scott says, still light-headed from being so big for so long, "Is your aunt gonna kill me?" which lightens the mood until:

"Not unless I beat her to it."

Mr. Stark. And he's _angry_.

Peter is reminded of the Staten Island Ferry and something inside him shrivels.

_What are you doing here?_

_Did_ you _say you just wanted to be New York's 'friendly neighborhood Spiderman?'_

_You need to tell me these things!_

Peter leans back and Scott says, "Hey, it's not like this was _planned_ – we were all working together –"

"Right, second-tier hacks who just managed to squeeze a win due to _dues ex machina arm_? Why don't you sit down and eat an orange slice while I talk to my protégé," Mr. Stark snaps.

Bucky and Shuri's matching gob smacked expressions would be hilarious in any other context.  
 _  
You can't talk to them like that_ , is on the tip of Peter's tongue, but it fades in his mouth when he sees Scott's fury – Peter has never seen him angry before. 

"If it weren't for us and Pym technology, the universe would be _fucked_ , you selfish asshole," Hope hisses, a tight hand on Scott's shoulder.

"Look, Stark, I know you were nervous, but they were handling it –" Bucky starts.

"In case you haven't gotten the message, _Mr. Stark_ ," Scott starts, interrupting Bucky, glaring at Mr. Stark. "It's not 2012. There are more of us than there were when you first formed the Avengers. I think after everything, we deserve some respect."

"Oh, cry me a river, now you want us to be buddy-buddy?"

"They're right," Peter says quietly.

"Excuse me?" Mr. Stark rounds on him.

"They're right. You can't talk to them like that. They helped save the world – _I_ helped save the world. It's not like it was seven years ago – there are more of us now and there shouldn't be a difference between us and you. And for the record, I was _fine_ – I trusted them with my lives – it's _you_ I don't trust!" He's surprised as soon as the words leave his mouth, but now he can't stop: "You come in and out of my life and expect me to heel? If I see someone in trouble, I'm gonna help, no matter what. I'm not limited to the five boroughs. I'm the _friendly neighborhood Spider-Man_ no matter where I am. And today, I'm San Francisco's." His voice gives out because he inhaled a lot of salt water, is what he convinces himself.

He swallows and takes a step forward. "If you want to take the suit again, fine, but know that if you do, I'm _not_ taking it back when you think I'm ready for it."

He doesn't even wait for a response – he's cold and tired and he wants to cry and he doesn't feel safe doing it here, so he goes, but not before he hears Scott yell, "What the _fuck_ is your problem?"

Peter realizes he's never heard Scott curse once.

**********

Scott is…not proud of how he loses his cool. He commends himself on being pretty even-keeled and removing cursing from his general vocabulary for the last ten or so years due to Cassie's existence, but this was…bad.

Like, bad enough that Shuri and Bucky are impressed and Hope is definitely hot and bothered by it. Which is worth exploring at a later time.

Now though, he has to find Peter and thankfully, he doesn't go very far, but he's got his knees to his chest and he's crying, so Scott hugs him, which makes Peter cry harder and now Scott is trying not to cry, _damn_.

"I'm lost," Peter manages to get out.

"Like…literally or figuratively? Because it's okay if it's literally, you've only been here for a day and a half. But it's okay if it's figuratively too."

Peter laughs in between sniffling, which Scott considers to be a success.

Scott gets hit with another dizzy spell. Hope comes up and says, "Let's go home."

"Wh-what about P-Princess Shuri and Bucky?" Peter asks. 

Hope points up and there's Shuri in her ship with Bucky at the open door. 

"God-Arm will help you in," Shuri yells.

"Stop calling me that," Bucky argues tiredly.

"I can't believe you risked your life to get here – I told you it still needed to be tested," Shuri scolds Bucky once they're all inside the ship.

"I got someone to watch the goats, it's fine."

Peter doesn't know what that means, but Shuri scoffs in disbelief. "That's _not_ what I meant, you fool!" she argues. She looks to Scott. "You, Scott – go into my bag in the corner and you'll see a little orange bag inside. Keep it. Better than orange slices."

Hope gets it since Scott isn't paying attention, really. He's just grounded by his shoulder pressing into Peter's, hoping it's enough.

"This isn't totally my invention, my team helped me develop it. Do you remember lembas bread from _Lord of the Rings_?"

Peter perks up at the reference, which makes Scott smile. "No, I don't do fantasy," Scott says, which causes Peter’s face to comically drop. 

"What?!"

But the basic concept that Scott discovers is that once he eats what looks like a cake pop, his energy returns in an instant. Well, not all of it, but he doesn't feel like passing out immediately, which is a vast improvement to five minutes ago. 

Peter seems lost in his head by the time Shuri drops them off at his home. Scott halfheartedly offers Shuri and Bucky to come inside, but they leave with Shuri's parting line being: "Hasta la vista, baby!"

Well, at least Shuri has some references before the year 2000. 

Scott urges Peter to take a shower and Scott takes a seat at the kitchen table, not knowing how much time has passed until Hope nudges him awake. 

"Cassie is fine - Paxton was in the area, thankfully. They said they'll stop by tomorrow, is that okay? They wanted to come now, but I figured with..." she trails off. "I've never seen you like that," she finishes, concerned. 

Shame burns through him. 

"I mean, it was hot, I'm not going to lie, but I know that upset you."

He tries to smile, but it feels wrong on his face. "It's been building up for a while," Scott admits. "Peter is an amazing kid, like, amazing. And he admires Stark, like hero-worships, and most of the time I think it's so undeserved." Scott rubs his eyes. "I know he's been through...horrible things. But he's not the only one."

Scott really doesn't like talking about it. Being stuck in the Quantum Realm. Thinking about it makes him want to jump out of skin, break it to ground himself.

He clears his throat. "Everyone's been through things, but that's not an excuse, he doesn't get a pass for that, at least not from me, not when he's hurting a kid."

Hope runs a hand through his hair, kissing his temple. "Peter’s lucky he has you looking out for him."

Scott snorts dismissively.

"I'm serious. I know a thing or two about emotionally unavailable fathers. You're exceptional."

"Super, even?"

She rolls her eyes and smiles. "Yeah."

"Do you want to shower first?" he asks her. 

Hope pecks him on the mouth. "You'll join me next time," she promises. 

He smiles at her properly this time. "Do you care what we get for dinner?"

"As long as there's a six pack beside it, I'm flexible."

Scott gives her a thumbs up.

**

Peter comes into the kitchen twenty minutes after Scott is left alone, his phone between his hands.

"Called your aunt?" Scott guesses. 

Peter nods. 

"Do you need a ride to the airport?"

He furrows his brow. "No, she, uh - it's okay, unless –"

"No, it's not - I didn't know if she hates us now and wants us to bring you home," Scott interrupts. 

"She doesn't hate you! She's okay with me being here if I'm okay, which, I am. I still want to...if that's okay."

Scott smiles. "Yeah, of course it is. Do you, uh, have a food preference? Pizza, Chinese –"

"No offense, Scott, but, why would I set myself up for failure with pizza when New York City has the best pizza in the world?"

Scott thinks about it. "Okay, Chinese it is. If you look over at the landline there's a menu. Write down what you want – I'm gonna hop in the shower before I meld with the chair."

Scott gets up slowly and groans, muscles already stiff. When he goes to walk to the stairs, Peter is suddenly hugging him, clutching tightly in a way that reminds him of Cassie after she's had a nightmare. Scott wraps his arms around him, a hand behind Peter's head protectively. 

Peter inhales shakily. "Thank you."

Scott nods, unable to speak. 

"I can't believe you swore."

Scott snorts. "Don't get used to it. Until Cassie is out of the house, it won't be a regular occurrence."

Peter lets go and steps back. "You used to curse a lot, didn't you."

"Oh yeah. It was bad."

Peter smiles in amusement. 

"Right, shower. Water is in the fridge if you want."

Before Scott jumps in the shower though, he calls Peter's aunt himself.

"I'm so sorry," Scott says as soon as she answers. 

" _Oh Scott, come on. Job hazard. Shit happens_ ," May sighs. " _He's okay, you're okay, everyone is okay. Did I lose years off my life? Yeah, comes with the territory, but. It's okay._ "

Scott nods and bites back tears. "I get worried," he admits. 

" _I know you do, you're a parent._ "

Scott smiles bitterly. "You sure you don't want me to put him on a plane?"

" _I'm sure. I know he's safe with you._ "

"Okay, well, let me know if you change your mind. Or if you want to come here – there's room."

She laughs. " _I hate flying. But I appreciate the offer._ " Pause. " _I appreciate you and everything you do for Peter._ "

He wants to say it's not much, but he knows that's not true. And it's not nothing – Peter is one of the coolest people he knows and he would seriously consider filling out paperwork to legally become a co-guardian if given the opportunity. 

Wow, this is heavy. (He wonders if Peter has seen _Back to the Future_ yet – worth bringing up at some point.)

He showers for ten minutes and has to force himself to not to linger in his room because his bed looks too tempting. 

As he's walking down the stairs, his phone buzzes with a video call request from Maggie. 

"I'm fine, I promise," Scott says in lieu of a greeting. 

" _You're giving me gray hairs!_ " Maggie says. 

" _Are you sure you're okay?_ " Cassie asks softly. She's been crying and his heart breaks. 

"I'm okay, Peanut, hold on, let's see about getting Hope and Peter –"

Hope is finishing up ordering Chinese and she has a beer in her other hand. Peter is on the couch with the chocolate ice cream he bought for the last time Cassie was here. 

"Here's Peter, eating your ice cream," Scott teases. Peter sticks out his hand to take the phone. 

"Hey, Cassie! Did you see me swing around?" Peter asks, putting on a happy face. 

Hope hangs up and sighs. "Forty-five minutes."

She goes over to him and watches Peter demonstrate how they fought the monster, much to Cassie's delight. 

"Did you talk to your parents?" Scott asks. 

"Yeah, they said we did great, even you."

"Honored," he says flatly, which makes her laugh. 

" _Can I speak to my daddy?_ "

Peter stretches his arm out to Scott, not budging from the couch. 

"Lazy," Scott says with a laugh, taking a few steps to take it back. "Hi, Peanut."

" _We're coming over for breakfast tomorrow_ ," Cassie announces. 

"Aw, are you going to cook us breakfast?"

" _No, you're going to cook for us! You kidding? Your pancakes are the best_ ," Paxton exclaims. 

Hope throws her head back and laughs. 

"You're providing the supplies."

" _I went shopping already._ "

Scott makes a face and Hope takes the phone, telling them to come at ten. 

Scott grabs a beer from the fridge and sits on the couch with Peter, who wordlessly offers his spoon. Scott takes a large spoonful of ice cream and washes it down with beer. 

"This ice cream is really good," Scott comments. 

"Yeah, it is. Never heard of it."

"San Fran brand."

Scott hands the spoon back. "You okay?"

Peter shrugs, digging into the ice cream. "Not really."

Scott brings an arm around his shoulders. 

"But I will be," Peter states. 

The food arrives and they eat too much of it. By the time Peter's plate is cleared, his eyes are half mast, so Scott urges him to go to sleep. Peter leaves his phone on the table and goes to sleep. Scott takes it and puts it in a charger. 

Hope and Scott are on the couch, maybe making out when Peter's phone starts buzzing. 

Scott goes to check to make sure it's not May, but freezes when he reads Stark's name.

"Stark?" Hope guesses. 

"Yeah."

Scott puts the phone on do not disturb and joins Hope back on the couch, picking up where they left off.

**

Someone is at the front door at close to midnight and Scott is tired and annoyed.

He's taken aback when he checks the security camera to find Tony Stark standing on his front porch. 

"You gotta be kidding me," Scott mutters, grabbing his shirt from the foot of the bed and slipping it on as he quietly makes his way down the stairs. 

When he opens the door, he says, "Dude, really?"

"Let me talk to him."

Stark looks rough. Scott shakes his head. "Peter doesn't need you right now. He needs sleep."

"I need to talk to him –" _to apologize_ , no doubt. 

"I know you do, but that isn't about Peter, it's about you easing your own guilt." Scott pauses to let that sink in. "You can wait until tomorrow to talk to Peter."

Stark stares at him, clenching his jaw. "You think you're good at this…parenting thing, aren't you?"

"Well, you do get a crash course when you bring a kid into the world. You can't know it all, but yeah, I think I'm pretty good at it with ten years of experience."

Stark nods, his jaw clenching. “I hope you didn’t forget that I was a parent too, before. Or, in the fucked up future we erased.” He looks at Scott with a surprising amount of pain. “I don’t even know if the child that’s coming is going to be her. The odds are just...not there. You understand.”

Scott swallows over the lump in his throat. He gives him a small nod.

"You’re right,” Stark says. “I’ll come back tomorrow."

Scott gets a glass of water and drinks it before going back upstairs, surprised to see Hope awake.

She wordlessly pulls him into bed and kisses him, hard and deep and easy – a relief – to focus on Hope, her kissing him stupid, eventually a gentle hand over his mouth as she makes her way down, down -

**

At this point, he's been out of prison longer than he was in it, but he still wakes up too early with only a handful of hours of sleep.

He stretches in his bedroom and catalogues aches and sores - at least his knee isn't bad at all – gotta thank Peter for his help with that.

He heads downstairs and starts making a pot of coffee. While he waits for it to percolate, Maggie texts him to let him know she's outside with groceries.

"Hey," Scott says quietly, letting her in.

"I figured you'd be awake," Maggie says, going to his fridge and filling it.

A ghost of a past long gone.

"Prison will do that."

Maggie raises her eyebrows, but she's smiling. "You alright? You seem...righteously pissed."

"Righteously pissed - what's that?"

"You know, like, you're angry at some injustice and you're going to right it somehow. It's how you were before Vistacorp."

He winces. "Nothing like that. I'm angry with Tony Stark."

"Iron Man? Why? I mean, he seems a bit of an asshole, but I thought it was more in that charming way."

"Definitely not charming when it's harming a sixteen-year-old kid."

Maggie glances up at the ceiling where hopefully Peter is still sleeping. "Yeah, well, clearly he hasn't had a lot of meaningful relationships in his life and none of them were people under the age of eighteen."

Scott rubs his face. "I don't know how I got involved," he admits. 

Maggie shuts the fridge. "I do," she states simply. "You've always cared about the little guy and you're not scared of powerful people." She takes out the coffee and starts pouring two mugs. "I think you sometimes lose sight of the trees for the forest, but I know it's because your heart wants to take everyone in."

"...That's an extremely kind way of putting it."

She hands him a mug and briefly cups his chin. "I never doubted that you were a good man, Scott Lang." She pats his cheek before lowering her hand. "Where's Hope?"

"She woke up an hour before me to go for a run."

"Really?" she asks in disbelief. "That's insane."

"I know."

Maggie smiles and Scott doesn't know why. "I got chocolate chips and an assortment of fruit for pancakes. I also got cocoa powder in case anyone was PMSing like I am."

He snorts. "Right, well you might be on your own on that." Maybe she's not pregnant, but who knows.

Scott begins making an assortment of pancakes: plain, chocolate chip, strawberry, blueberry, chocolate with chocolate chips for Maggie, and Scott finds one banana left in his kitchen, so there are three banana pancakes for him to snack on. 

Paxton and Cassie arrive once he's got a spread and Paxton carries a tray of Blue Bottle Coffee orders. 

"Do you believe in polyamory?" Scott asks, taking the iced coffee that says New Orleans. 

Paxton laughs and Cassie asks immediately where Peter is. 

"Wow, I'm really feeling the love here," Scott jokes. 

"You know I love you," Cassie says dismissively, which makes all of them laugh. 

Scott checks the time and figures ten isn't too early. "You can give him a patented Cassie wake up call."

Cassie grins and runs up the stairs. 

"You're a little shit," Maggie says. 

Scott shrugs without shame. 

They hear Cassie squeal and shifting upstairs. They wait for Peter to come downstairs in shorts and a t-shirt, Cassie casually thrown over his shoulder. "Hey, does this belong to you?" He asks casually before noticing the coffee on the counter. "What's that brand?"

"New York has it too," Paxton says, distraught. 

"Maybe Manhattan, but not Queens."

In the end, Peter ends up with Scott's NOLA cold brew and Scott takes the unsweetened one because Scott is an adult. 

Hope eventually comes in, sweaty and beautiful, wordlessly swiping Scott's cold brew from his hands on her way upstairs to shower. 

Paxton goes into his jacket pocket for a small can of cold brew and tosses it to Scott. 

"I will be your husband, I swear," Scott says. 

Cassie starts loading her plate with food while adults pick on fruit and sip their coffees, waiting for Hope to come downstairs before eating. 

Peter seems good - engaged and happy and well rested, so Scott steals some sips back of his cold brew. 

"Dude!" Peter gasps. 

"We can get you more later."

He still looks offended. 

That's when there's a set of sharp knocks on the door. 

Peter gives Scott a small smile. "I'll get it."

"You heard," Scott states rather than asks.

Peter gets up from the table and pats Scott on the shoulder on his way to the door. 

Stark seems surprised that Peter opens the door. "Parker," he greets. 

"Mr. Stark," Peter says. 

Silence. 

"You're letting unwanted bugs in," Hope says impatiently. "Either you talk in here, or outside."

"Let's talk outside," Stark offers. 

"Sorry, Hope," Peter says before shutting the door behind him. 

Hope shoos Scott toward the window by the door, which is cracked open. 

"Come on," Scott mouths. 

"Do it!" Hope, Maggie, and Paxton mouth back at the same time. 

He rolls his eyes and does what they say. 

"Look, uh...I owe..." Stark inhales sharply. "I'm sorry, Peter," he says quietly. "I've been...involving you in this international stuff and expecting you to go back to business as usual, which is a taller order when I can't even get over my own shit." He sighs. "To be honest, Peter, I don't think I've been right in the head for years. Maybe even before the desert. I blamed not knowing how to be a decent father-figure because my dad wasn't much of one, but...I realized living out those five years...that maybe that's enough of a guide - a what not to do."

Scott wishes he can see Peter's face. He doesn't care for Stark, but he knows this is genuine. 

"I'm going to do better. Going forward. And I know you said you want to be the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, so...maybe you want to try LA? We can be a team."

Scott waits impatiently for Peter to respond. 

"Thank you. I appreciate it," Peter says slowly. "But after this week...I just want to go home. Help my New Yorkers. And, uh, I think I like a girl, so I want to hang out with her before school starts."

Scott smiles. 

"But, maybe when school starts, I can have a real internship - at the Avengers Tower? Maybe shadow you or someone else on bigger problems. If that works."

"I think that's a great idea."

Scott carefully steps away from the window and gives the table a double thumbs up. 

After a couple of minutes, Stark and Peter come inside. 

Stark clears his throat, staring at Scott. "I owe you an apology, to both of you," he looks to Hope too. "I was...a grade A, well..." he trails off, eyes flickering to Cassie. "I know we would've been utterly screwed without your guys' knowledge of the Quantum Realm." He looks back at Scott. "Especially yours."

"Right. Well, thanks," Scott says, wanting to change the conversation immediately.

Hope brings a hand to Cassie's eyes and gives Stark the finger. She drops both of her hands and places them on her lap. 

"Yeah well, baby we got bad blood dating back decades, maybe with time –" Stark starts, his baseline personality coming out. 

"I'd be cruder and more explicit, but Cassie is here," Hope says with a lethal smile. 

Stark smirks.

"Do you want some pancakes, Mr. Iron Man?" Cassie asks. 

"I'd love some," Stark says. "Do you mind showing me around?"

Cassie hops off her chair and shows Tony Stark around the kitchen, directing him where the plates and utensils are. 

"You good?" Scott asks Peter lowly. 

Peter smiles. "Yeah. He said what I wanted to hear."

"That's what matters."

"Sorry for listening in last night," Peter apologizes with a contrite expression. 

"Hey, it's fine." Scott waves it off for emphasis. 

Peter looks like he wants to say something else, but Stark comes back with an array of pancakes. It takes a while for the conversation to pick up, but eventually Paxton cracks and wants a picture with Stark and gushes about how cool he is.

Peter is furiously texting on his phone and eventually says, "Hey, Shuri wants some pancakes, mind if she drops in?"

"I'm going to need more if her buddy is coming," Scott says, getting up to go to the stove.

A few seconds later, Peter says, "Yes."

So Shuri and Bucky stop by and Scott tells everyone he's not making pancakes for at least two months after today. Shuri like a fruit medley pancake and Bucky likes blueberry and chocolate chips, which Scott also likes too.

Bucky kindly requests a few plain pancakes to go for his goats, which Scott doesn't even bother questioning.

Eventually, everyone thankfully leaves his house. He'll have Cassie in a few days again and Maggie promises to make him baked ziti next time he comes over for dinner. Hope has to go meet her parents to do some work, but warns him he better be in to help.

Bucky does an Irish goodbye and Shuri is gracious and compliments him on his pancakes. He gives her a few to go because she's royalty.

So it's just Peter and Stark left in his house.

Scott can't help but snort. "This feels familiar."

"How so?" Stark asks.

"Feels like I'm arranging custody with my ex," Scott explains. "But Peter isn't a child. So, Peter? What now?"

Peter smiles.

**********

So, the thing is, Peter knows Scott and Mr. Stark aren't really ready to get along, but that's okay. They just co-existed for the last hour, which is a good start. So, he tells Mr. Stark that he wants to work with Scott and the Pym-van Dynes for the day and maybe after his time with Shuri and Nakia, they can grab dinner and catch up.

He's realized at some point that one person can't give everything he needs. He admires Mr. Stark, of course, and he'll always be the hero he wants to emulate, but now there's Scott, who is kind, but has a strong set of morals that motivate him to fight. And there's Cap, who defines persistence and goodness. And Shuri is like a long-lost older sister – so awesome and cool and on his wavelength.

And there's everyone else – Thor, King T'Challa, Doctor Strange, Natasha, Bruce, Carol whom he didn't really get to know, but wants to, Sam, Wanda –

They're a ragtag bunch of messed up adults, honestly, but they've managed to put aside their differences and work together to save this planet and the universe it resides in.

And if that isn't the most inspiring tale, then Peter doesn't know what can top it.

**

On the day before Peter plans on going home, he's surprised with a trip to Legoland by Mr. Stark.

"I can't let you leave California without going to SoCal, the superior part of the state," Mr. Stark says.

"What's this 'Legoland'? Is it anything like Disneyland?" Shuri asks excitedly.

And so, they head to Legoland, except Mr. Stark tells him to bring his suit.

"Why?" Peter asks suspiciously, but Mr. Stark deflects the question and any follow ups for the rest of the journey in Stark's jet.

The park is obviously aimed for children – Peter knows that he's a little too old for wanting to go to Legoland, but he loves Legos and he's still a kid, right? He can find some enjoyment, or the seven-year-old in him will go HAM, at least.

When they arrive, Peter really roams free. He does the Factory Tour, which is so flipping cool and he buys some awesome Lego sets for him and Ned to do. And maybe MJ might like one or two, he considers when he adds another box to the cart.

Mr. Stark doesn't blink throwing his credit card down. Peter makes sure to thank him profusely with every purchase.

"Is there anything else you want to see? Because we need to go somewhere," Stark says, checking his watch.

"No, I think I'm good…where are we going?"

Mr. Stark doesn't give anything away, except to tell him to put on his suit during the last few minutes of the journey north – that much he has gathered through checking out the window.

When they land, Peter is dumbfounded to find himself at the entrance of Disneyland.

"What are we doing here? And in costume?" Peter asks Mr. Stark.

"Oh, look, we know them," Mr. Stark points out.

There's Scott and Hope, also in costume. "Spider-Man! What a coincidence!" he exclaims in a fake-deep voice.

"Ant-Man…" Peter says slowly, confused.

"And we definitely know him," Mr. Stark says, nodding ahead.

Captain America, also in full costume, his shield strapped to his back. "Spider-Man, Tony," he greets them.

"Come on, Steve," Mr. Stark complains.

"It's your fault you didn't want a secret identity," Cap points out. "Now, let's get everyone else out here – _Avengers Assemble!_ " he yells.

And there's almost everyone – Thor, Natasha, Wanda, Carol, Bruce, Clint – even Doctor Strange – arrive at the entrance of Disneyland.

"What's…going on…" Peter asks – he's excited, obviously, this is fucking awesome, but he's also _very_ confused.

"You had a point. Actually, you and Lang did. About being on the same team and there's more to our team than just saving the world. We can get along and have fun, so…Disneyland. And we'll take you to get shawarma."

Peter beams from ear to ear, even though Mr. Stark can't see through the mask.

"I want to go on Space Mountain!" Shuri says, jumping up and down. "Let's go!"

Mr. Stark speaks with a manager, Peter assumes, and he hands over a black credit card with the promise, "Any damages that inevitably occur, please bill me. Although if the responsible party is Strange, then bill him."

Peter thinks they're confusing the public more than anything else, but eventually when they get used to some of them flying out of rollercoasters and slamming back into their seats and swinging from Sleeping Beauty Castle towers, people start asking for pictures.

A boy with bees on his shirt asks specifically for a picture with Ant-Man, Wasp, and Spider-Man. "Bug Team!"

They indulge him and soon Thor comes in and announces, "I want pictures with the insects!"

"Only if I'm carried by Thor's massive muscles," Scott says at once. 

So, there's a picture on someone's phone with Thor carrying Scott bridal-style with Peter on one of Thor's shoulders and Hope doing a one-hand stand on Thor's head.

On Splash Mountain, Peter's grateful that his suit dries him quickly because he and Bruce get _soaked_. Also, Bruce's facial expression is so funny that Mr. Stark buys everyone a copy of the photograph.

What really melts Peter's heart though is seeing Cap and Bucky together, their warm friendship. It seems like everything has been so sad and serious between them – for a lot of valid reasons – but now, riding together at the front of the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad cart, laughing freely and sharing cotton candy is sweet.

"Who's going on the Incredicoaster?" Natasha asks.

Naturally, she and Carol are the only ones who don’t scream during the over one-hundred-foot drop.

At one point, Scott finds him and says close to his ear, "I gotta go – I want to experience Disneyland as Cassie's dad."

"She's here?!" Peter asks excitedly. 

"Yeah. Come find us later."

Scott pats him on the shoulder and Peter stops him from leaving with a hand to his chest. 

"Are you going out for food with us later? Mr. Stark said something about shawarma."

"Yeah?"

"I think it's a bonding thing that was established before us."

Scott nods. "Text me later then."

"Okay. See you."

He finds them later – Mr. Pym and Ms. Van Dyne and Hope and Scott and Cassie. He doesn't stay with them for long so as not to throw suspicion onto them, but he does ride a rollercoaster with Cassie since she claims not be scared, but sometimes you just need a buddy.

(Plus, he thinks Scott is rocking a headache from riding a lot of rides and probably needs the break.)

By the time the sun sets, Thor is claiming starvation and someone named Brunnhilde (superhero alias: Valkyrie), a fellow Asgardian who has apparently been around the entire time, hiding primarily in the New Orleans Square section, is questioning why they don't hunt the animals already caged.

Peter is a little sleepy, sitting on a bench, but is jostled awake by Cap sitting next to him, handing him an iced coffee.

"Thank you," Peter says gratefully, lifting his mask so he can use his mouth to suck down half of the coffee in one go.

"No, thank _you_. Without you, we wouldn't have had today," Cap says. "And today was a good day."

Peter nods. "Yeah, it was."

He hopes there can be more like it.

**

Peter doesn't know who eventually finds a place to eat, but they've commandeered over half a restaurant and Peter reminds Cap twice to text Scott where exactly they are.

"SoCal sucks, let me just say I'm going to get the black lung from the smog," Scott complains as he walks in, looking around the table for a seat.

"Here, you can sit, I actually want to make a toast," Cap says, offering his seat to Scott.

Once Scott sits down, Cap hits his fork to his beer bottle, quieting the table.

"No speeches," Bucky complains from the other end of the table.

"It'll be quick. I just wanted to say thank you to Scott and Peter – for reminding us to keep our feet on the ground."

Everyone lifts their drinks in the air. "To Scott and Peter!"

"Wait, _who_?" someone complains from the opposite end of the table – _wait,_ isn't that Thor's asshole brother Loki –

"What the _fuck_?!" half of the table jumps out of their skins and Scott and Peter share a look from across the table.

"Well, the acknowledgment was nice for a hot second," Scott sighs.

"Cheers." Peter lifts his soda and Scott picks up an abandoned glass of water from Clint, clinking their glasses.


End file.
